The Hockey PDOcast - 2024 Mock Draft: Part 2

Episode Date: June 20, 2024

Dimitri Filipovic Is Joined by Cam Robinson and Chris Peters to Take Part in Their Annual Mock Draft of This Year’s Top 15 Picks. In Part 2 They Work Their Way Through Picks 5 to 15. If you'd like to gain access to the two extra shows we're doing each week this season, you can subscribe to our Patreon page here: www.patreon.com/thehockeypdocast/membership If you'd like to participate in the conversation and join the community we're building over on Discord, you can do so by signing up for the Hockey PDOcast's server here: https://discord.gg/a2QGRpJc84 The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Media Inc. or any affiliate.

Regressing to the mean since 2015, it's the Hockey Piedocast with your host, Dmitri Filipovich. Welcome to the Hockey Pediocast. My name is Dimitri Filipovich and joining me for part two of our 2024 annual mock draft are my good buddies Cam Robinson and Chris Peters. CP, I believe you're here on the clock with the number five overall pick. Just to run it down for those of us that are just tuning in now, we did McIntylebrony I. Adam Levshanov 2, Ivan Demadov 3, Kaden Lindstrom 4, and now the Montreal Canadians are on the clock. So, C.P., what are you going to do with this pick? Yeah, I think it becomes a lot trickier now that both Demadov and Lindstrom are off the board.

And so, you know, I think that there is, there's a lot of different players that I'm thinking of, you know, in terms of both what I would do if I were Montreal and, you know, just strictly going off my board. If I was going off my board, Anton Salia, would be the next pick. But I don't necessarily feel like that fits for me. with this group and and the other thing that that you know i'm having a hard time getting past is um you know kent hughes has said all things equal we take a forward but i think all things aren't equal at this point with two of the better forward prospects off the board i i love berkeley caton he's one

of the guy you know but i think that in terms of what how how the canadians are being built i don't think he's a fit for them. So I'm taking that into consideration as well. And I'm saying, okay, well, if it has to go this way and I have to do it this way, to me, you know, I think the most impactful pick that the HABs can make if those guys are off the board is Z. Booiam. And you say, wait a second, they got Cole Hudson, or they got, not Cole Hudson, lane Hudson. I've been thinking about 2024 draft too much. They've got Lane Hudson. They've got Logan Mayu. They've got over the last year, we've seen Zeve Bouillon step into a step into a player that has, you know, kind of surpassed those players. And I think also his defending got so much

better over the course of the season that I don't think it's a liability. He is six foot. He is incredibly intelligent with the puck. He has a dynamic element. And as I'm looking at the forwards, I think Katten makes sense. You know, I look at Beckett, at Seneca, Tija Gimler, players like that. But I think if I'm getting the most impactful player I can find, you know, I don't think the offense is there enough for Selyev. I don't, you know, I think that Katten is too redundant on what they already have. Bouillon is the guy for me that makes them jump a level with the number five pick.

I would probably, if I were, if I were Montreal and I'm sure if I were one of their fans, I'd prefer a forward too. But I just think that, you know, there's a chance that Zb Bouillon is going to outscore some of these forwards. So, you know, that's where I go. I end up putting ZV5 and, you know, or this is also a situation where if you're the Canadians, you're like, should we trade back? You know, like those different things that, that, you know, can we get some extra juice

out of this? But I think that's an opportunity for them to land the highest impact player for them. Well, also, I'll agree. Well, no, it was the names you mentioned there. and I'll let you jump in, Cam. Also, David Reimacher, fifth overall last year, at Caden Gully as well. They've invested a lot on the blue line here,

and I certainly think you look around the league. You can never invest too much in the blue line. Like, it's always good to have an embarrassment of riches. You'll be able to deal from a strength of position later. Certainly, I do look at this team, though, and I just think they fundamentally at some point need to get serious about adding legitimate offensive juice and, like, guys who can break the game open offensively to help Caulfield and Suzuki a little bit.

And so I don't actually think that, this is too early for Berkeley Caden. And I would strongly encourage them to think long and hard about that because I just think that type of talent is really difficult to find. And this, even though you could quibble it maybe a pick or two too early, ultimately, I just think the upside is worth it. But also I have no issue with Buea in there, who I have very high on my board as well, Cam,

what were you going to say and what are your thoughts on that pick? Well, I was just slipping in there to say, Calgary picked up the phone if Montreal wanted to slide back, go jump up to five and grab Teage. No, I really like Zeebueh, too. As far as him potentially outscoring some of these forwards, I don't think personally, I don't think the statistical profile really matches the level of player

that he'll be at the NHL because 50 points in 42 games as the youngest defenseman in college hockey, like that, as you mentioned earlier in the show, Chris, is like, is this miles better than Quinn Hughes, right? like this is better production. You know, I don't think he's going to be that level of player. I don't think we will see 90 plus point seasons at Azib William. But I don't think he needs to put up those kind of points to be super impactful either

because I do really love his kind of fallback two-way game too. The one thing that I really wanted to see out of him was improving his puck retrievals. Like early on in the year, I mentioned about Lepshonaut too, but he was getting kind of I've creamed back there on retrievals at times. And by the time we saw him in Gothenburg there at the World Juniors, it was already like took a big level jump. And then his offensive like that, how shifty he is coming downhill from the point,

maybe that's not super translatable just because of how good NHL forwards are that they're not going to, you know, maybe bite on that shimmy fake. But like, my goodness, he embarrassed people at the World Juniors. He embarrassed kids at NCAA hockey. So like that's a great attribute that he has. I think the skating is just fine.

I think that's kind of the big difference between him and one of these like super electric offensive defensemen that, you know, they're generational feet sort of thing. I don't think he has that level. I think it's going to be good. I think it's going to be above M&Chel average. I think his passing is, you know, going to be high end. The hockey sense, though, is what really does it for me. So I think that that would be a highly justifiable pick for Montreal, not a welcomed one by the fan base, as you mentioned. When was the last time they picked the guy that the fans wanted?

It's amazing. It is, I mean, the, the woman that reacted to the Yesbury coat can be picked, that has been the fan base for like each of the last several drafts. And I, frankly, this is a vote for chaos if they do take Zeev because it would be the same thing. If it's, if it's Teage or Seneca or Katten. Yeah, they can sell that. You know, but that's, I, I do believe. And the other thing I'll say is like, you know, I mean, Adam Fox is a is an okay skater.

Yes. won a Norris trophy. You know, and I think we're talking about Zeeve. It took me a long time to get there. I think we're starting. I do think he can get into that

that tier. I do. You mentioned that woman after the Kotkanami pick. She clearly knew Puck because she was well. She was right. Yeah, she was right.

Listen, I think, Cam, you made a really interesting point there because I'm with CP on a lot of what he said. And listen, 50 points in 42 NCAA games given his age in the position. is a remarkable feat. And yet in watching him and reading more about him,

what I'm much more intrigued by for his upside as an NHLer is the transition game certainly, but also the defensive capability as a transition defender. You see a lot of that. And I just think that jumps off the page for me, certainly some stuff to work on with the skating and kind of the lack of explosion. But as CP mentioned,

there's guys who have been able to compensate for that, the brain power, though, and the feel for the game. Like how calm and cool he is in going back, to retrieve pucks, making guys miss, and then making plays out of the zone, that problem solving against forecheck pressure. That's such an important part of today's game. You just watch the Stanley Cup final and how few guys are able to routinely do it and how valuable a skill that is.

And if he's able to just keep doing that and being unfazed by it, I just really feel like the sky's the limit for him there. And so that's what I'm more so intrigued by. Like, if he plays this volume of minutes in the NHL on any team, he's going to wind up walking his way into a bunch of points because that's generally how defense and accumulate their points, right? Playing on the power play, playing a bunch of minutes, playing with other good players and distributing the puck.

So he'll get his points. But I think all the stuff he does in the connection game between that is actually what I think the big selling point for William is for me in the NHL. He's a good player. One of my favorites, too. And I was very, very impressed with seeing him at the World Juniors there. He was much better than I thought. And to play as an underage as a draft eligible kid and to see his role,

you know, it was solidified early. And he was a highly useful player for them. I just, yeah, I, I, I, you're right, Chris, they don't care. They pick who they want and, you know, to come out of these last two drafts and end up with Ryan Bacher and Bouillon, not sexy, you know, with the options that they could have pulled, um, far from sexy. But, uh, but end of the day, you know, you're, you're building out a blue line. And, and those are tough assets to get.

As we see, they cost a lot of money to acquire and trade or they cost you an arm and a leg to sign free agency. Yeah. All right. I'm on the clock here with the Utah hockey club at, at sixth overall. And after their past couple drafts where they took Simashev, Daniel Boot, geeky, Mav Lambrot,

it would be hilariously on brand and keeping the bit live if they took Salaev here to just keep building out their basketball team. And so part of me is just intrigued by doing any chaos, but I got to stick true to my board here. And I would have had the Canadians taking Berkeley Caton at 5. And so I'm going to have them taking them here at 6. You look at this forward nucleus they have, right? With Keller, with Kooli, with Goon,

with Machelli, there's just so much juice there, so much sauce with those guys. And I think if you add a player of this caliber to that group, I'm very intrigued by it. Now, I think one of the complicating things here is we've heard that both this pick and the audible pick, we're going to talk about in a second, are actually available for grabs if someone either wants to move up or trade for it entirely because these teams are looking to make a splash and Utah in particular moving, having a new owner, having all the draft capital they have. I think previously they would have liked to use this pick if they were still in Arizona on a guy who projects as a very long-term guy who might not even show up for a couple years

because they sort of viewed that deferral process of keeping the chain of command moving with losing and not having to pay guys as a perk as opposed to a lot of teams who want to see some immediate gratification from these guys. I think they actually want to see someone who can help contribute soon, not that that's necessarily going to be Berkeley Caton right away, but I think that skill set is a selling point for getting people really excited. And so, So adding him to that group is highly intriguing to me. Yeah, I love Berkeley Caton. I, you know, I think that he's a hugely impactful player.

I mean, we talk about processing speed, and he plays at speed, and he does things, and there's just all sorts of things that I like about his game. The one thing I think for Utah in particular, and I, you know, I think the Salia thing is interesting, and the fact that he'd be there, they'd be like, like Bill Armstrong's like, you know, you know, just like, how do I not do that? But, and I do think that the, the interesting thing from about where Utah is, I feel like they need to get some D here.

You know, I do, you know, I feel like that to me is, and notice, you know, like, staying true to your board is is absolutely warranted when the players of a caliber of Kat. And I obviously just went away from it for Montreal, maybe because I was hoping for the chaos as opposed to anything else. But to me, you know, I look at what they're building and the speed factor of the NHL. And if you want to have a fast, exciting team in a new market, you know, Berkeley Cat and Logan Cooley, Clayton Keller, you know, it's a smaller group. But it is exciting.

It's a lot of fun. And then they also have, you know, they didn't draft a single guy under six two last year. So their size come and it'll be all right. Yeah. I think, yeah, I was thinking the exact same thing is that, and I've done a few moks. And I'll do one more here right before. the draft and to me like Zame Parek seems like just kind of an automatic at that spot for them just because like they don't have a single defenseman signed right now. Obviously they're going to have

them. There are a phase and they've got some of sheave. They've got some stuff coming. But I think to have that like potentially elite power play one guy that real offensive generator with a big shot to move the pucks up. But as far as Katten goes, you know, I kind of had a bit of a roller coaster with him this year where I started out being super high on him and then, you know, had some games midseason where I wasn't all that impressed where you look at the size and you're like, that's probably not a center. So now he's a now he's a kind of dual threat winger, which is, you know, still fine, but a little less valuable. And then I did the film room on him and I watched, you know, kind of maybe six or seven or eight more games and kind of came right back around on him where

it's like, you know, he's so dynamic offensively. And I did have like, I had someone in my ear saying to me throughout the year, don't overthink this. Like don't overthink this on Caton. He is an elite offensive player, whether that's on the wing or not, right? Like if he slides over to the wing, he's still going to be that player. He's still going to be that facilitator, that creator, that finisher. He has this be. He doesn't need to be a physical specimen. He doesn't need to bang and crash. And we see that he's unafraid. He goes to the net. He might get steamrolled in the NHL when he does it and have to figure things out. But no, I think that he would be a lot of fun. And he could be someone that could sell tickets for a franchise. It's going to be fresh.

Yeah, I think there's a few concerns, right? Like, what is he listed at 163 pounds? something right now. I mean, obviously as he ages, he will put on a few more pounds. I think he will need to because that is a very, very slight frame. And I think projecting him to move to the wing is reasonable as well. Yeah, the good news is that the combine, he did put on some weight. He's at 173 now. Oh, wow. 175. But at five, you know, didn't, didn't tickle 511 as had been hoped. He's five, five, 10. But, but yeah, but I mean, still, like, you're exactly right, Dimitri, it is, you know, that, that, it's part of the calculus is, is how many, how many of those guys can you have? How many, you know, and, and yeah, I mean, it's, it's interesting nonetheless,

but you just, that excitement factor. Well, I think he, I think he creates it an NHL pace, and I think that translates for me. And he does a lot of his damage on the interior despite that size, which is, you know, if he puts on that weight and I think he will need you to keep having that sort of success in the NHL level, I think that's encouraging. He's not purely a perimeter guy. He's going to just crush it off the rush. I have no doubt about that, regardless of what position he's playing at. How do you guys feel about sort of team quality in the situation, though, right?

Because you look at the team he was on and the amount of talent he had around him. And you can sort of make a compelling argument either way. We're on the one hand, it's like, all right, well, you have a lot of leeway. Everything is just running through you. Maybe you just get more opportunities than you would elsewhere. But also, I think the level of defensive attention where I imagine whenever anyone was playing that Spokane team, it was like, all right, all right, all we have. have to do is worry about this guy. And so the fact that he still produced the points that he did,

despite that attention, can be painted as like a massive positive in his favor. C.B., how do you sort of feel about that, like, team dynamic of playing with other top guys compared to what he had to do last year? Yeah, you know, I think context always matters. And certainly, certainly in a situation like the one that he was in, you know, you're like, it's not, not great. But yeah, I mean, I look at what he's done in terms of the production. And like, you just looking at the at the at the at the at the at the hl in general over the last you know 20 or so years how how does his season rank in terms of draft eligible production and you know there are two guys ahead of them going back you know the last if we go back like 15 years now so you know that's that's

a pretty incredible thing the 54 goals for some reason i feel like we've overlooked how good of a goal score like like not not we not not the three of us but i don't think that people like 54 goals in the WHL at 17 years old is not nothing. You know, I mean, it's pretty incredible. And on top of that, to be that dual shot pass threat, to be a transitional nightmare for teams, to be a guy that backs defensemen down, you know, that those are the things that matter. And yeah, I think team quality is certainly something you consider. And it only makes what he did more impressive, just as the fact that Connor Bedard was,

I mean, his, his season last year is still one of the just the most ridiculous. things I've ever seen. And that Regina team was, was no good. So, yeah. Okay. I'm with that. I just,

I'll slide one of these things in here, just real quick to put into perspective just how impressive he was statistically. So you see a child draft eligible guys, 50 plus goals, 115 plus points. And since the turn of the century, it's Bedard. It's Patty Kane.

And it's Sidney Crosby. And now it's Berkeley Caton. Like to hang out with that level of player and to have eligible and to not just be like surrounded by. guys who jacked 100 plus points, it's him, right? And yeah, so, so, yeah, don't overthink it. But I think we're,

I think we've talked about this in the past years, but like we're kind of skeptical, I think collectively of guys who feast off the rush, but it's purely like, I'm just more physically impressive than you. And so I'm just going to skate in straight lines because once you get to the NHL, the opportunity to do so is much rare. In this case, you watch a lot of his stuff and it's like a lot of cutting back into the middle, like no real street lines.

It's all like kind of forcing a defender to explore. what he's going to do and then beating him where he left, basically. And so it's a lot of like high level stuff that I think actually does, regardless of his size, bowed very well for his rush attack in the NHL level. I'm back on the clock here with the Ottawa Senator is number seven. And there's been a lot of talk about them being open and moving this pick. I can't really understand why because you look, 2021 was the last time they made a first round pick.

And it was Tyler Boucher who had five points in 21 AHL games this year in his draft plus three season. They traded the way the 22 won for it to Brinket. they traded the 2023 one away for Chikrin. They're going to lose their 2025 or 226 one because of the Doddanov scandal. And so I feel like at this point, especially if the board goes this way, I'm going to scoop up Zane Perek here because I do think as a right shot defenseman, he's highly intriguing for them.

And I really want to talk about him more here because I was strongly considering him with that Utah pick. I want going with Caden. But I feel like Porek, like all the knocks on him are very obvious. I think everyone sort of understand some of the. concerns there. But the way this guy creates offensively from that position is so intriguing to me because we have sort of proof of concept of how that works in the NHL, right? Like we're going to talk more about your chemtruck later. I'm a bit more skeptical of those types of guys who are so

like heliocentric in terms of everything runs through them. They're going to try to create one-on-one and attack that way from the defense position. It's just really tough to score goals that consistently in NHL as a defenseman. The way per X sort of slices and dices and works those diagonal passes and involves his teammates, that stuff I've seen work at the NHL level. So for all the defensive concerns, and I think some of those are alleviated by like how competitive he is and how much effort he gives and the physicality he showed. Like I don't think his struggles there are for a lack of not caring, which is sometimes a concern for some of these offensive defensemen.

He'll reach a certain baseline there. And then all the doors he opens up offensively is something that I'm just like, I'm very captivated by. So I think at this point of the draft, he's a very, very smart pick. how do you feel about prick as a prospect? I mean, like generational production this season, right? Like as far as draft eligible D in the AOL, I think he lands third now behind Slaney and Bruce Cassidy.

And those those happened 30 plus years ago. 33 goals. Like he, it's funny. Someone said to me that like if he produced less, he might get more hype because it's like it seems like almost ungodly what like those numbers are that they can't be real, that they can't be indicative of what his future is going to be. And maybe they aren't.

maybe they aren't maybe he's not going to be that level of player and and um you know as far as my board goes like i don't think he's going to be a super superstar but there is that upside um i think that he's got a little nasty to his game i think that that will that will help him as he moves up he's not small but he's not big um you know the skating's good but it's not crazy good the shot obviously is great the passing's great um i think i think it'd be fun and i think he grew up a couple hours outside of ottawa too right so it would be a bit of a bit of a homecoming there as well um on the right side, like he's, he's a very, he's a very dynamic player at this level and such a sniper. Yeah, I think it's, I think it's a fun pick.

I think that's right around where he's probably going to go. Like this is probably in that five to eight range is where he's going to live. And just the production was so, so massive. And then, you know, obviously the success that his team had this season, winning in the Mem Cup on home ice. It's like it left some strong impressions on the scouts too. CP, where are you at with Preck? I mean, I think this is this is a pretty fair range for him.

And I think particularly for Ottawa, it makes a lot of sense. You've got some really good talent back there. Obviously, you have guys like Jake Sanderson and Thomas Shabbat. But, you know, I think that to have a guy that's going to produce the way that he can. I mean, his offensive creativity for a defenseman is insanely good. I mean, the fact that he scores as much as he does, the way that he opens lanes, the way that he kind of creates time and space for the guys. in front to, you know, take the net away and to get, you know, take the goalie away a little bit.

He buys time really well on top of all the, the physical tools that he has. And, you know, I think if you're, if you're the senators, you know, you're certainly, you've been missing Eric Carlson since he's been gone. I don't think you're getting Eric Carlson back, not one to one, but you're getting a guy that's going to play a lot and produce a lot and potentially outproduce, you know, some of the guys that are available. I mean, I still think, you know, guys like Tija Gimlet, back at Seneca, they're very much in this conversation as well in terms of the forwards. But if I'm Ottawa and I see where I'm at, you know, I think they still need to add in a lot of different places,

but I think they can really shore up a blue line and add, you know, kind of another building block piece if it's somebody like Porek there. So it makes a lot of sense to me. I still think, like oddly the senators still need a lot of things, it feels like, you know, know, it's just, it's, they've, they've drafted decently well. As you mentioned, they haven't had the first rounders. You know, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, is, is, is, is, is, is, is the things that have kind of come in, that, that, that, that's, you know, that's, you know, you've already. Well, you got stuteslay, you got sanderson. You got chucked in recent years.

Um, but really nothing, nothing lately. Well, I, I think for the defensive concerns, like, I think actually that some of those mechanics and play selection when guys are coming at them is something. is something that over time with better coaching is going to be fixable, or at least just to get to a passable level so that his offense can shine through. And then that offense, man, like shooting for tips and rebounds, giving goes, like kind of making plays at the point, regardless of how many goals he scores,

I just feel like he's going to drive offense from the back end. And that's such a valuable proposition for me. So I really, really love this prospect. Chris, we got time for one more before we go to our final break. You're on the clock here, number eight, with the Seattle Cracken. Yeah, you know what? I think it's going to be real interesting. I think they have to go defense here. You know, and I think that it makes sense to me. And if I'm looking at, you know, my personal board, the guy that's still there is, is Salive. And so the thing about that is, is I don't, I don't necessarily think that that's a fit for Seattle in terms of what they need. I'd like to see them get a little bit more two-way value. And with that, I'm going to go and give them, Sam Dickinson here. It comes down between Sam Dickinson and Carter Yakumchuk for me, but I think you look at the skating profile, the athleticism, you know, the production that

he had this here. I don't think he's going to be like a massive, massive point producer, but I do see a player that is going to give you points. He is going to play good minutes. He has the size, the range. I feel like his hockey sense vastly improved, you know, year over year. And it still has little ways to go. There are still some things that you know i'm not as comfortable with with him and i i certainly considered very long and hard carter yakom chuck in this range but to me dickinson um just feels like seattle's kind of player if i'm drafting for them specifically you know i i try to look at that a little bit more and not just strictly go off of my board because if i did you know selyev would have been gone a while

ago i just think that you know they they need to go defense and they're they're going to go defense if some of these players like a Yakum Chuck or, you know, Perrette could be there, Bouillon could be there in some, you know, you never really know. But I think one of those guys is going to ultimately be the pick for them. And then on top of that, you know, just based on my board, it just I feel like the fit for a Ron Francis style situation is Dickinson. Yeah, I mean, that skating ability at that size is outrageous. And in particular, just thinking about like what he could do as a transition stopper,

regardless of the field for the game offensively. We're going to talk about that here in a second, but I just think there's a lot to sort of work with there. Cam, off the top, you sort of hinted at how you've kind of come along, I guess, a little bit with, like, guys of this mold who have all the physical tools, but maybe your feel for the game or kind of reads and reactional pressure could sometimes be a bit lacking and sort of being concerned with that more so in the past than you are now. I imagine you were kind of talking about a guy like Dickinson here when you were talking about that. How do you feel about him and sort of the notion that, I mean, the baseline there is very clear. in terms of what he can work with, but do you feel like over time he can sort of develop that to a point

where he's going back and playing a puck and actually making a good end to support Tori Reed as opposed to sort of constantly having to scramble and just like frantically trying to skate the puck out? Like, do you think there's a bit more nuance there from the detail perspective as he ages here into his early 20s? Yeah, I think there's some players that in the mold of Sam Dickinson that have bothered me a lot in years past,

where you could make a mix tape of him just like completely blowing outlet passes or, you know, swimming around on his stomach in the defensive zone because he's lost coverage and he has to dive across and try to make a play and he does and it ends up in his own net. And, you know, there was examples of that in that Memcup final game that he was so strong offensively. But defensively, there were still some moments where you're like, oh, good Lord, Sammy. But I do think that the upside for him to do to be like a play. killer and a play starter is massive. And I think Chris is right. I think Seattle is going defense.

And I think I don't know if Dickinson's going to be there. Like talking to some people on the team side, like a lot of people think he's going to go top five. Like that, you know, he had the big playoffs. He did improve his playoffs for some of the best hockey I'd seen from him this year. And then,

you know, he had offensively a really strong Memorial Cup as well. So again, those kind of recent outings. And I'm sure some GMs were hanging out in Saginaw. So they're seeing those games too. But if he's there, I'm mocking him. I'll let the cat out of the bag for the final mock at EP.

He's going to Seattle on my mock draft too. I think it makes a lot of sense for them for that two-way ability. Like he's another one that far from a slam dunk, but could be a 1D if everything broke right for him. But the very least you're getting yourself like a highly impactful or a high volume or an interesting player in your top four, someone who's going to do a lot. and maybe not all great, but it's going to be eventful anyways. Yeah, the one quick stat I want to throw out about him is just he's six foot three, right? And using the nifty elite prospects sliders among defensemen, draft eligible defensemen,

six to three or taller, only two ever have had 70 points in a season. And he's one of them. Who's the other one? Is it Pietrangelo? No, no, I can't, it's older. So I can't think of it off the top of my head. Oh, okay. Yeah, but in his age range, it's very rare what he did at his size. What a stat there, CP.

You're going to give us one of the two guys, the other one? You got to find out for yourself. Go to Elite prospects. Check it out. I just sold Elite prospects. Yeah, you got to sign up for the premium tool there. No, I love that. Bob has him.

McKenzie has him sixth in his final rankings to the point of whether he's going to be available at this pick. Let's take our final break here. When we come back, I think we're all. up to nine now. We're going to rattle through the final five or six picks here. You're listening to the Hockey Pediocast streaming on the Sports Night Radio Network. All right. We're back here on the hockeypedo guest doing our mock draft. We're up to pick nine. Cam, you're on the clock here with the Calgary Flames. And I've read your board on E.P. Ringside. So I know exactly what you're going to do

here. And man, did this ever fall right into place for you. That's right. Dean Laterno, number nine to the Calgary Flath. I'm just kidding. Yeah, like talk about a dream sense. scenario for Calgary, right? Like coming into the year, T. Ginglin projected to be, you know, mid first rounder maybe as the year wears on. You know, he's looking like, oh, this guy could be a top 10 pick. And like the way he finished the season, U-18s, you know, great combine, strong playoffs. Like he's, he's risen quickly and talking to teams. There's a lot of teams that like this player. And I think a big part of it is that he's electric offensively. Like he's never met a defender he didn't think he could dangle um but the the two-way like tenacious style that he's added

you know that was there but not all the time or not to this level you know i was blown away in finland by just like the details of his game you know taking the routes on the forecheck you know cutting off those lanes for defenders to escape lifting sticks getting body positions winning those puck battles and then making a quick play um i love this player he's number four on my board i saw that button released his and put him at three and he scooped me. I think that was personal. I think he probably saw I put him four and he's like, I'm going to want up cam. But he's just, he's such a great kid too. I was, I was fortunate enough to spend some time with him in Finland over there talking to him as a member of the media and, you know, he was gracious and he was, you know, thanking me for,

you know, saying things to him. And then on the way home, too, I was hanging out with the Canadians at the airport on the planes. And just you can see the way that he interacts with people that, you know, unsurprisingly coming from, you know, that family. right, Jerome is such a stand-up human being. For him to get to probably make the pick too on stage to draft his own son up there with Conroy and the gang, I think would be a really special moment for everybody and he'd be able to have the feather in his cap that he was drafted earlier than pops. No, I think this pick here, Ginnla has the ability to be a true difference maker up front,

someone that can play in all situations and really elevate his game in the playoffs. You know, I've heard whispers that he's going to move back to the middle of the ice. next season, a position that he used to play when he was younger. And if that would be the case and now you're getting a center, like he's got the body type, he's got the vision and the two-way play that could potentially switch back and be an NHL pivot. And so if you can get that at number nine,

something like that, I think is dream scenario for Calgary here. Yeah, we're just going to have to get some Photoshop's going of Calgary Flames jerseys with a Ginnla nameplate on the back. And then we're good to go. Yeah, I love to, I mean, listen, I would have thought, like in my mock, I had them taken the defenseman here just because I think,

they've had such an exodus of talent there over the past couple years. It used to be an organizational strength. Now you look up and like within two years, none of these guys could be around anymore. And so I think that would be an intriguing position for them. At the same time though, I think the appeal of a Genla is a no-brainer. I've really fallen in love with this prospect. Largely you're doing Cam in reading her work on him and you just selling him on me entirely. C.P.

How do you feel about this againla pick and him as a prospect? I think it's really interesting. I'm going to be more interesting to see like obviously our board went. has gone the way it did. We'll see where it goes on draft day. And just the interest, the intrigue to me, I'm not as high on, again, as Cam is, but it's, I mean, he's still in my top, you know, he's in that top tier of this class. You know, those 14 guys that we keep talking about.

And I'm not entirely certain he'll ever be a center. But the, the, well, I don't think he'll be a center. I'll just put it that way. But the other thing that that is interesting is, is yes, it is a dream scenario, but is also a backed into a quarter scenario it feels like where you're like if you don't take them you and and the thing is is that calgary has needs throughout their system um the that's so i i think it's a feel good moment i don't think it's at all outlandish to pick them there i just want to make that clear i think it's i think it makes a lot of sense the interesting thing is is just like you know what happens if

there is one of the top tier defensemen i mean and yakom chuck is there right now is he moved the needle enough. I think you can make a strong case. They're very close. He and Tees are very close on my board. You know, you can make a case that way for a defenseman too. But I mean, yeah, I think in the end, it would be very difficult for Craig Conroy to continue living in Calgary if he went any other way. Yeah, I mean, what's not to love about this guy? There's a video that our pal David St. Louis did on the YouTube channel for EP, which I think is going to sell you if you're still kind of uncertain where he highlights a lot of the stuff off the puck in particular. They're like very NHL habits in terms of like establishing body position

and sometimes creating space or winning puck possession battles for his teammates even, as opposed to just kind of doing it for himself and sort of taking out defenders out of the play. A lot of stuff that's going to really ingratiate him with coaches, the shooting ability and the goal scoring and the playmaking coming along. I think there's so much to love here. So I really like the pick. I think we had it in our draft guide, we had his cop being like Brennan Hagel and Y. Johnston.

so you don't need to sell me any further on that. Like I, as the number one fan of both those guys, I am a hook line and sinker for this one. Cam, you're back on the clock with the New Jersey Devils at 10th overall, which is a pick they've kept after while we were recording. They traded for Jacob Markstrom. They did so with the 2025 first, which projects to be much later than this one.

So they were able to keep this pick as well as acquiring the goalie. So they are back on the clock here. What are you going to do here? I got to say I would have liked it if they had dealt their 24 to Calgary right now and then Calgary could have gone back to back. That would have been a lot of fun, especially for me going back to back in these spots. But, you know, New Jersey,

they've focused a lot on the blue line, you know, Simo Nemich, they got Luke Hughes. They have some pieces back there up front. They have lots of pieces as well. But I'm going to go with the riser here. I'm going to go with Beckett Seneca at number 10. The way that he, his game evolved over the season was that, that jump was almost as large as the gross spurt

that he slapped on over the off season two. So, you know, I think he was 5'10. You know, I think he put on a solid four inches here quickly. And so he was a small player who needed to manipulate time and space to his advantage through his hands and through his hockey sense and his vision is given goes. And now he gets to do it in a six foot two frame. This kid had like made one of the best mixtapes of anyone in the class. Like some of his highlight, real goals, his handles, spectacular stuff. all kind of doing it a little Bambi leg, like where he's not fully acclimated to this new,

this new length that he has, but he's making it work. And so to me, that's, that's got that upside. You know, that smells of upside that, you know, you pack on some more weight, you pack on some refinement. You give them a, you know, a couple years. You could really have something fun coming off the wing. And you know what? We gave him, we gave him that badge. The kids got that dog at him. Like, he's got, he's got some snarl. He's got some pushback. Um, you know, he, he, he, he, he loves to be a little thief in the night coming up behind guys on the back check and a quick stick lift and a strip and then off he goes the other way. I like him. And there's a reason that he's arguably the draft's biggest riser, you know, kind of down the stretch here publicly anyways.

And, and, and, you know, talking to scouts and execs too, like, they said, like, there's a reason. Like, this kid's good. Like, he's, he's very good. He's something that you could, you know, consider like people talk about Berkeley Katner. It's like, oh, if he was three or four inches taller, like he'd be a slam dunk at like two, three. And it's like, well, this kid, you know, Seneca, he put on those inches and he's, you know, he's not quite as electric and dynamic, but it's not too far off. Yeah, I think we described him as the inflatable man, just wobbling around opponents. And I think that is a very good descriptor.

It reminds me a lot of watching Troy Terry in particular, just in terms of the fast switch hands and kind of how he uses it, obviously to stick handle and make some of these highlight real plays to juke defenders and create out the rush. But then also the thievery with the stick lifts and receiving pucks off the wall. and a lot of like NHL pro habits that he's already putting on tape. So I really like that. He clearly needs to get a bit stronger. I think sometimes he can get knocked off these pucks. But as you said, when you put on this size or height,

this late in the game, I think there's an adjustment with your body just kind of compensating for that. I imagine he will do so over the next couple of years. And once he rounds into that frame, all of a sudden you're dealing with a very intriguing package of skills. CP, how do you feel about sort of him as a late riser here and how high up he's gone boards where it seems like,

like we're taking him here at 10, a lot of the mocks or even sort of rankings I've seen have had him even a bit higher than that firmly in the top 10, which is obviously a massive jump from from where he was earlier in the season. Yeah, I mean, I talked to one guy. I was like, if he's still there after seven,

I'll be stunned. And I was like, wow, okay. And I like the player a lot too. And actually at the combine, he measured in at almost 6.3. So he's already, he's still growing. And so that was the other thing. it is that you know you see the way that he kind of grew with ashua and talking to him at the

combine he said you know our team is a whole built that season but really he was a he was a big driver he was a big driver that obviously calum ritchie can't take anything away from him um and what he did there but i i think that there's a belief that that seneca is is one of those guys that that teams are are getting much higher on i had them um you know right in that same range i think I had him at 11 on my board. I say, I think, and I have it right in front of me. I had him 11 on my board. You know, I think that he is an intriguing prospect in so many different ways.

The growth spurt is notable. You know, you look at his regular season production, and that second half production was, you know, on pace with any of the best draft talent in this class. So I really think that he's got some special qualities that teams are going to be looking at. the upside factor with him, knowing that he's still growing, knowing that there's still more for him to get to, and the fact that he was able to retain so many of those skills that he had as a smaller player is really intriguing. So I think this is a guy that probably is going to sneak into a little bit higher than we have him here, but at the same time, I think if you are picking him at 10, you're ecstatic about that pick, and you feel like he's going to fit in with

what you're building in Jersey as well. Well, and I like the upside swing for the devils because they're picking 10 here and if they're picking again in the top 20 in essentially the next seven years or so I think something's gone horribly wrong the way it did this year for them and so I like the upside swing of adding a guy who could in a couple years provide legitimate value for you on an ELC when you have a bunch of higher level contracts on your team and you're competing so I like that we're back on the clock here at 11 the Buffalo Sabres CP Europe yeah and I think this is this is where you know it gets interested I think if the Sabres are one of those teams that should be probably considering, hey, should we move this to get some more immediate

help? You know, and if it would have to be a big, a big swing, you know, in that range. But, you know, they have, we still haven't picked Anton Selyev and he's high on my list, but I, they have a thousand left shot defensemen in Buffalo, approximately. I think it's, it's give or take a thousand. And so that really doesn't make sense here. However, if I'm going, you know, it's a tough pick here, but I'm just going to go with, okay, well, you have to have a right shot defenseman at some point, right? So why don't we just bring in Carter Yakimchuk? Now, he is maybe redundant to what they have in terms of the skill and the offensive sense, but he does give him a little bit of balance on the back end. He gives them size. He gives them some

snarl, too. I mean, this is a player that plays with some nastiness to him. And so I'm going to go with Carter Yakim Chuck here. I think really you look at the different forwards. It's there's so much of what they kind of have. I think Kualizerman could be a discussion there. Brand said knee guard could be a discussion there. You know, talking about some of those players, but you look at, you know, they've got Zach Benson. They've got Matt Savoy, you know, is Consta Hellenius going to move the needle enough for them? You know, they got no Ocelain. There are just a lot of players that are similar. And I think, you know, the biggest swing you can take here is on the high upside defenseman, and maybe he pans out a little bit better than some of the guys that you already have

with Yakum Chuck, who, you know, is a 30 goal score in the WHL last year. Yeah, Cam, I have some concerns about him just purely because while you look at the tape and it's what he's able to do, like weaving in and out of traffic, making people miss, the shot, it's all ridiculous, of course. It's really tough to score goals consistently in the NHL as a defenseman. Like the list of guys who year over year are able to replicate it is like, Kail McCar, and that's essentially it, maybe Roman Yossi occasionally. Like, it's just very difficult.

It's not really a skill. Generally, you produce offensively from the back end by distributing a bit more. Not that he can't do that because he's clearly a highly talented player, but these guys who are so puck dominant in that way in terms of creating their own offense, it's just harder to do in the NHL. So I'm not sure what to do with that projection. I've seen the Evan Bouchard comp, and you see the success he's having, and it makes sense, right, with the shot and sort of maybe some mobility concerns,

but how he's able to compensate for it by just defending aggressively, by attacking and moving forward, as opposed to having skating backwards, that might be a thing that in the coming years just becomes even more prevalent than HL. So I'm not willing to close the door on that. I think the talent is very intriguing. But I do have a few concerns. And that's why when I've seen him in people's top fives or top tens, I feel like that's a bit rich for my taste. But once we get into this 11 range, as CP noted, I think you get to the point where if you just want to take like high upside swings, I'm perfectly okay with that logic.

Yeah, for me, it's, you know, he has to become John Carlson. And that's another guy who could consistently score goals in the NHL. And I think the difference there is the feet. You know, I don't love Yakim Chuck's feet, but special puck handler, like the way he can handle the puck. And, you know, you can open up lanes to finish from the blue line two ways, right? With your feet or with your hands. And he's got one of them anyways. So I do think he needs to figure that out.

I need he needs to be quicker laterally at the top of the umbrella if he's going to end up being kind of that top power play type of player. Um, you know, my biggest kind of knocks on him this year was, you know, preventing on on entries. You know, I didn't, I didn't love his, his zone protection. And I didn't really love his controlled exits either. Um, so there, there's a couple things that I really like to see from my defenseman. But he's six with three and he put up great numbers and he's got great handling. So there is upside on that offensive side too for sure. So, um, it's, it's right around where I have him. I think I had him, the 12 or 13. on my board. So I think it's a fine pick. And one of these players, yeah, Buffalo has a lot of

defensemen, but they also have a ton of forward prospects too. And, you know, they could go hard skill with like Bransig knee guard, something that maybe they don't have a ton of in their lineup. But again, that might be a little rich too for this spot. So this is kind of the fun part of the draft because we see that it's like two to 10. I feel is kind of like its own tier, maybe a slight separation. But then after that, now we're into the jumble, the true jumble. Well, we've got four more picks here. And we've got to raise through them in the next less than 10 minutes or so, which is going to be a challenge for us. I'll go 12 here with the Philadelphia Flyers. I'm going to take Cole Eisenman here. I know they took Mitch Cobb last year as a pure goal

score after he fell into their lap. I do think, though, like you look at his talent at this point of the draft in particular. I'm willing to take that shot with him. I get all of the concerns. I understand that like one-dimensional players like this are kind of getting phased out. There's a big misrate with them. The league just moving away from specialists. At the same time, though, his goal-scoring ability and the way he does it is intriguing to me because of his ability to shoot off the pass in particular, right? I think one thing we've seen sort of phased away is these guys who just kind of walk into shots from long range because you're just not beating NHL goalies consistently that way anymore. His wheelhouse and his ability to essentially accept any sort of pass and still get a

quality look off of it is something that I think will play in the NHL. He has to clearly refine a few of those ancillary skills to support his game when those pucks aren't going in. But if you're talking about this 12 overall pick where I know Flyers fans have sort of lamented, oh man, I wish we weren't so competitive this year under Tortorella because we ruined our ability to take a really high upside guy high in the draft. Well, this guy sort of falls to you at 12 after being in the top five in Bob McKenzie's midseason ranks. And despite all the deficiencies, I feel like at this point, I can kind of make a compelling case why he's the pick. So I'm going to go call Eisenman here at number 12.

I'm going to keep it quick on Eisenman. I've said a lot about him in words and videos and writing. I just want to know, like, who's the elite passer who's going to be dishing him the puck? Because I think he needs, I'm not, not, you know, he didn't, he didn't play his best hockey this year either with, with the best players on the team either. So I don't know. I, I think he's going to need someone to get him the puck. And so I think that whoever drafts him should have that plan in place. Like, you know, we are going to facilitate, if that's the devils, right? If they're like, let's give him to Jack Hughes. Or if that's the, the sharks coming up, they're like, well, let's reunite our best buddy celebrating in him and have someone who's a really elite playmaker to.

But this is the range, power forward upside, big, big swings. Could be, could be a hit, could be a bust. What do you get? Any of my thoughts, C.P.? No, I mean, I think it's that, that boom bust potential is really there. And you don't, you don't necessarily, especially if you're the flyers, you shouldn't be drafting to who your head coach is. But I can probably tell you John Tortorello would hate Cole Eisenman.

And I like Cole Eisenman. I think he's fine. but I think range-wise this makes sense for me. And yeah, but you are talking about boom-bust potential. And Danny Breyer is all about that. I think he wants to take some swings. And I think Eisenman would be a swing. And it's a completely reasonable one here.

Okay. I'm going to be on 13th on the clock here with the Minnesota Wild. And I will take very odd brand for them as an organization. I'm going to take Hans to Hellenius, who I think at this point, like, I get the sort of lack of dynamic qualities offensively and concerns. about what his upside is. But man, he strikes me as just a really quality player who will be able to contribute pretty soon.

You look at his production in the league and at his age, it comps very well to guys who have succeeded in the NHL. And in particular, I think of a guy like Lundell, for example, who I remember in his class, there was questions of what his offensive upside was and all of that. I'm not saying he's going to be the same type of player, but you look now and the offense hasn't necessarily translated, but he is leading the Panthers in the Stanley Cup playoffs in 515,

points is a very valuable player and an ELC for them. And so these guys are legitimately valuable despite whatever your concerns about their offensive upside are. So I just feel like he's going to play right away and he's going to be very good. And he does a lot of like pro ready detailed things that I really like in his game. So I think at this point of the range, I really like Heleneas. Yeah. And I wouldn't I wouldn't, uh, equivalent with that pick much at all.

I really do think that there's, we saw him at the professional level play at a very strong level. You know, he internationally, if we were judging him based on his international play, we might have a different story. You know, I was really disappointed in the way that he played it to Andre 18 Worlds. However, however, you see the elements of his game that are growing. And I think if you're the Minnesota Wild, yes, it's on brand. It's not necessarily the sexiest pick, but it is an effective pick, a player that is in a position where you should want to try to continue building out, what you have, you know, we'll see where the Charlie Stramel pick goes, but that's a guy that's going to play way down your lineup, you know, if he plays. And then you've got Consta Heleneas,

and Marco Rossi obviously had a nice season of growth this year. I feel like Heleneas and Rossi are very similar players. And I think Rossi had more top-end skill as a draft, but at the same time, Heleneas produced, and he's an incredibly intelligent player. And when he plays with competitive drive, he is, he's a difference maker and can be a difference maker. And I think those types of players succeed in the NHL, right? You're mentioning kind of the UATs and stuff like that. I feel like some of these detail oriented guys who are like always in the right place and just like provide support and are aware and positionally strong.

I feel like playing against men in pro leagues that sort of translates a bit more than maybe some of those other tournaments. CP, you're back on the clock here with number 14 for the San Jose Sharks is your last pick of this mock. Yeah. And now I finally am. going to do it. The guy that I had number four on my list, Anton Selyev, and, you know, obviously the sharks have needs on defense. Shahir Mukumadulandoulin is basically it, you know,

Henry Thrun, I don't want to throw him completely up to the side here. But, you know, like, they need, I think with the number of forwards are gone, you go and you get the chance to get a high upside defense. You've got size. You've got mobility. You've got some nastiness to them. You know, the question is, will the offense ultimately translate? There's plenty of unknown there. I think he moves pucks decently well. I think he handles it fine. It's not dynamic. But to me, Salive fits that need. And it also gives the sharks a chance to make a pretty significant splash at this range of the draft. I mean, I think there is a chance that Salive is going to slip because of whatever, you know, he still has years left on his contract. He's not going to help the sharks immediately.

But again, I think I stressed this before, really bad hockey team. And they will be for a little bit. When they're better, he'll be ready to step in. And so to me, Salive, you know, finally fits a team that I also have, you know, on my draft list. All right. Let's close out here. Cam, you're on the board with the Detroit Red Wings at 15. Please take Mike the egg, please.

I really want him to go in this draft. No, sorry. I'm going to do something fun here. You know, Detroit, they've drafted some players that have like some, some kind of sturdy two-way systems set up for them. Marco Casper, Nate Danielson, these type of guys that I think are going to be good two-way players. I think they're looking for some high-end upside and they're going to have to eat some noise. And it's going to be Trevor Connolly here at this spot.

And you know what they say, you know, the skill talks. And so, you know, he's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, 16. Um, you set aside the off ice stuff. For a moment and you're going to see one of the more talented players in the class. He thrives in transporting the puck. He's got great hands. I really appreciated his game at the U8 teams where he adjusted. He was, you know, dropped into a team that had played together for two seasons, put on a third line when he's normally a first line, first power play player. Him and C.J. Mooney had great chemistry, kind of working the cycle, getting to the net.

So he showed that he can play kind of in a different role. But it's in Detroit. You know, I think that they would love to inject some high-end offensive talent up front in that pipeline. Going to go Trevor Connelly. Well, that'll be an interesting pick. I, for the record, want Brandtsegnaigard there for them. He's going to Minnesota anyways.

Yeah, he got that hard, hard center. You're right. All right, boys, this is where I give you guys a chance to plug your stuff. and let the listeners know all about it, because this is obviously just the tip of the iceberg. We did as much as we could here over these two hours, but there's so much more to dive into. You guys are two of the best in the business.

I've seen you. I've actually read an article where it described you guys as the two most prolific rankers of our time. So I don't know if I'd go that bar necessarily as much as I love the both of you, but that is out there on the internet. Cam, I will let you go first, plug the draft guide and whatever else you want,

and then CP jump in after that. Whoever, that was Alex McLean, whoever wrote that article, spot on. Chris and I, just prophetic. Um, yes, obviously, uh, this is, this is go time for, for, for, for, for, for, for, for, for, for Chris and I in the whole kind of prospects world. Um, the EP draft guide big, big 1600 and 1, 1900 plus pages on our, our main one, 600 pages in the light version, all the, all the, all the

fun, juicy stuff, the badges, the player comparisons, um, you know, go grab an EP premium subscription. They're 50% off right now. Like, you can't, you can't get any better than that on an annual. Um, I'm cranking out tons of film rooms on these players. We're making videos. mock drafts coming out. We're heading to Vegas in just a few short days to just sweat in our suits. It's going to be great. T.P. I might not even bring a suit at this point.

I just look, the high of 110 isn't really settling with me. Shudder. My upper Midwest thick blood. So first off, it's always a pleasure to do this. And I really enjoy spending time with you guys talking about the draft. And, you know, I've been at Flow hockey now for this. This is going to be my third draft there. I'm really excited to be back and doing it.

Fullhockey.tv. is where you can find all of our draft content. It's all free, which is kind of fun because we also have stuff that you can pay for, whether it's live streaming games, USHL, BCHL, the ECHL, the ECHL, all these different things that we have that you can stream during the course of the hockey season, but the draft stuff is free. So you can always read that there. We've got a two-round mock draft coming up.

You can also check us out on YouTube, flow hockey on YouTube. Lots of video scouting reports. We have, you know, podcast clips from my own podcast talking hockey sense, where we've been talking nothing but draft for the last month. And plenty more. Lots of interviews from the Combine as well. So tons and tons of draft content this year, free and readily available for you. It's just so much fun this time of year.

And I'm really glad to get this over. And I just booked my travel for my first trip for the 2025. draft so uh can't wait yeah no no i'm gonna do the the the world junior summer showcase first so they do some world junior work so we'll see james hagan's there we'll see unfortunately not anton frondell but there's gonna be a lot of players that are that are there that are that are going to be uh potential first rounders next year so we'll be keeping an eye on those guys and get you ready for the next draft so uh demitri it's always it's always a pleasure man this is so much fun thanks for including me in it sorry i missed last year glad to be back this year

Well, you guys are the best in the Bayes. Hope you enjoy Vegas. I'm not too proud to say that I simply do not have time for this stuff throughout the year. So I defer to you guys. I just swoop in, parachute in in June and just try to absorb as much info as I can. But the two of you and all the work you put out there are invaluable resources. So if you enjoyed listening to today's show, please go and check out more of the work these two gentlemen have put together and follow them for all your draft needs. And enjoy the draft.

It's going to be a lot of fun. Looking forward to your coverage from that. And we'll be back soon here on the PDO cast with plenty more. Stanley Cup coverage to conclude the season, and then offseason coverage as we shift towards that. So thank you for coming along for the ride with us and listening to the HockeyPedocast on the SportsNet Radio Network.